PRATT — In the first round at 4A regionals hosted in Pratt, the Concordia High School baseball team had its season ended by NCKL foe Abilene, 7-3.
The Panthers carried the momentum to start the game. Outside of a dropped strike three and a walk, Chane Parker would keep the Cowboys at bay. In the bottom of the first, Concordia would strike first, with Drake Blochlinger and Parker Jackson scoring after the Panthers tallied a trio of hits.
Parker handed Abilene a three-up-three-down top of the second inning, but the Cowboys would slow down the Panthers, only giving up one hit.
Abilene’s offense started to pick up in the third, with the leadoff man giving them their first run of the game, and being disciplined to take advantage of three walks and an error. The Panthers scored a run of their own in the bottom of the inning, with Ayden Krier getting walked, stealing second, and scoring off a Chane Parker double.
The Cowboys took the lead in the fourth, bringing three runs home, despite the Panthers only allowing two hits, and it was 4-3 Abilene entering the bottom of the fourth.
It would be from the fourth inning onward that the Panther offense would grind to a halt, with the Panthers only having at most one hit in an inning, and no more than five batters in an inning.
After a three-up-three-down inning in the fifth, the Cowboys had another three-run inning in the sixth inning to put the game away.
Chane Parker went 3-3 from the plate with a double, and gave up four runs on three hits, six walks, with five strikeouts.
Rush Leduc went 2-3 from the plate. Drake Blochlinger went 2-4.
Abilene defeated Pratt to advance to the state playoffs for the fourth year in a row.
SEASON STATS
Boone Richard led in hits with 35, second most stolen bases with 20, tied for the most wins on the mound with four, and the third most strikeouts with 34.
Drake Blochlinger was second in hits with 27 and led the team in home runs with four, the third most stolen bases with 19, and led in runs scored with 33, and was walked for a team-high 18 times.
Kale Schroeder tied for third in hits with 26, and tied for second most doubles with six.
Chane Parker tied for third in hits with 26, led in doubles with seven, led in RBIs with 25, had four wins on the mound, and had 55 strikeouts.
